State of the Union remains ... a big uncertainty

The night of the State of the Union address more aptly could have been called Groundhog Day.

Little has changed in the nation's capital. President Barack Obama and Congress have moved from crisis to crisis, stitching together quick fixes but failing to get agreement on key issues. And the last thing the country needs right now is another short-term deal that puts off any real and sustained solutions to the country's considerable financial problems.

These matters have been kicked down the road long enough, and, as many financial experts have said throughout the recession and into the sluggish rebound, uncertainty - perhaps more than anything else - is what is holding up a stronger recovery.

Despite this view, Obama is proposing that Congress pass a short-term budget plan to avoid a series of automatic budget cuts, while - you guessed it - talks continue on the broader issues.

If that sounds familiar, it should. It's pretty much how the Democratic president and Republican-controlled Congress have dealt with financial matters in the wake of the economic crisis, and the strategy isn't nearly good enough.

As the new year began, the two sides did manage to find way to avoid going over the "fiscal cliff." But they did that by approving the easiest of decisions, making certain tax cuts permanent, while delaying action on the tougher ones, such as rethinking spending choices and making a dent in the country's sizable $16.4 trillion debt. As a result, they face another deadline - March 1 - that will kick in automatic cuts known as "the sequester" unless a viable alternative is found.

While Obama is just starting his second term, he is running the risk of having these next four years play out like the last two since Republicans took control of Congress in 2011.

Obama says he wants "a balanced approach" to tackling the deficit and, at one point, was close to an agreement with House Speaker John Boehner on such an agreement. They must get there again.

The broader deal can include more tax reforms, for sure, but it also will mean making reasonable cuts to military spending and farm subsidies and slowing the ever-increasing costs of the country's biggest programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, that are greatly contributing to the debt.

While the country has other profound issues to address - including the need for comprehensive immigration reform and smart, enforceable gun-control laws - there is a reason Obama made the economy and job creation the bulk of his prime-time address. He knows and the public knows the country must do better economically to prosper.

Democrats and Republicans do have legitimate disagreements over how to achieve that goal. But neither side is going to get all of what it wants, and it should be clear to everyone by now that paralysis is not the solution.

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State of the Union remains ... a big uncertainty

The night of the State of the Union address more aptly could have been called Groundhog Day.

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